Heating oil and diesel oil obtained by depolymerization of hydrocarbon-containing residues are well known in the art. The depolymerization of the hydrocarbon-containing raw materials takes place by injecting the raw material, such as plastics or spent oil, as a liquid or slurry in a preheated state under pressure into a reactor heated to the cleavage temperature. A vapor fraction is taken from the reactor, which is heated indirectly via the jacket surface to an internal temperature of 420° C., for example, and a diesel or heating oil fraction is obtained directly from said vapor fraction by fractional distillation. The solid matter accumulating in the reactor is continuously removed and processed further.
Prior to the hydrocarbon feedstock being fed into the pyrolysis reactor, the feedstock is preheated. During the preheating process, water vapor and other types of gases (e.g., chlorine gas, etc.) are produced and can be difficult to handle and be disposed of safely.
Currently, there is no satisfactory process to preheat the feedstock and effectively dispose of gases generated from the preheating of the feedstock. As such, there continues to remain a need for an apparatus for feedstock for a pyrolysis reactor and which apparatus can effectively dispose of gases generated from the preheating of the feedstock.